The Crosley Hot Shot, with sales beginning in 1949, is remembered as America's first post-war production sports car, beating out the Corvette by several years. There was another American sports car produced two years prior to the Crossley, and that car was the Kurtis Omohundro Comet. It was a very modern car with a high performance engine and a low center of gravity. Adding to its sporty attire, it was fitted with a streamlined body that would become a hallmark of all subsequent post-war sports cars in America. Many of the design features of the Kurtis Omohundro Comet would be seen years later by various other 1950's era builders.

The design was courtesy of Frank Kurtis, the famous Indy 500 race car fabricator that produced a successful line of vehicles in the early post-war era. Kurtis was aided by co-designer and builder, Paul Omohundro who was the owner of the drop hammer tooling Comet Company, located in Los Angeles, CA.

The Kurtis Omohundro Comet was clothed in aluminum with the windshield frame and grille were cast from bronze and then chrome plated.